As I browsed through my family snapshots there were several that brought me back to the moment or the memories that each image holds. This year marks the 31st thanksgiving our family has spent at our cabin. Each year we play cards & board games, snow machine, cook, then before our feast we huddle in and join hands and go around the room and listen to what each of us are thankful for. These images remind me of some of the small things that I’m thankful for. Remembering the first moment I watched Michael adoring our new little girl is a moment I won’t forget. Watching my dad hold my little girl as the river passes pulls at my heart strings. The tears that streamed down my Momma’s face when we told her Lael’s middle name would be Cherie after her were the sweetest tears of joy. Seeing two little cousins in the tub together brings me back to a zillion childhood memories I have with my favorite cousin and to be raising our own babies and running our business together today makes me so proud. Stepping out for a wild disco night with my shy guy in hot leather pants and an afro reminds me of how much he really does loves me. Witnessing my dad living in the moment and jumping off the cliff into the river was awesome and reminded me of the great example he has taught us that making the effort to have fun always pays off. For at least the past 6 years around this time of the year my sister and I take my nieces and nephews bowling and if this memory sticks in their little minds like some of mine with my favorite auntie they will be certain when they are grown that we went a 100 times. Taking in the sites and sounds of the kids during an all out water fight make me live vicariously through them. Watching my brother patiently fish with Lael tugging at his line and pole made me smile at how tender he’ll be with his own babies.

As I type Lael is curled up asleep on my lap which is where she can be found most mornings while I work, I wish I could keep her small enough to fit forever but for now this mental image of her so tiny will stick with me and as Michael always reminds me sometimes I need to just put the camera away and cherish the moment in full as it passes through our life. I am thankful for all the beautiful people in my family and for all the tender, silly, quiet and fleeting memories we share. For the freedom our soldiers fight to keep. The health we are gifted with. Amazing and unyielding support and love from Michael. Many unwritten blessings and most of all our faith.

Here’s to all the wonderful moments that remain forever in our memories…

It was an amazing treat to photograph and be photographed by the talented Miss Moxie herself! I have been looking for another cool photog chick to collaborate with and was thrilled to discover one of my childhood basketball buddies is also here making a name for herself in the photography world. After admiring her work and spunk on her blog I knew she would do an incredible job shooting our family photos and was honored when she asked me to do the same for her (peek at her blog for a sneak peek at our family). It’s been a blast reconnecting and we’re looking forward to cooking up some fun, creative, projects to meld our styles on so you’ll just have to stay tuned.

My favorite of the day…

A close second…

A little more fun…

You know when you meet a family and you just feel like you’ve known them forever – that’s how we felt from the day we met these guys. We bought land from them in Cantwell and after a little back and forth on price we got the deal sealed by throwing in a photo shoot! They are a young, fun, down to earth, Alaskan family who feel genuine to the core. They have a great life in Cantwell – they live in a beautiful cabin on the river, they hunt, grow their veggies, bake their bread, enjoy the land and teach the kids how to appreciate the little things. He’s a pilot and owns a guide business. After working super hard in the summer and fall they head for warmer weather in the winter. We admire the simplicity of their life and feel we could all use a lesson in getting back to the basics and appreciating the little blessings life has to offer.

The kids were a little cranky about being cold so the shoot wasn’t quite the vision they had in mind, but as a result there are a TON of awesome images. Enjoy the teaser! 

It’s -14 this morning so I thought it would be a good day to post a couple shots from the sweetest summer baby! Abby was a perfect little model. After a full studio shoot it didn’t phase her one bit being naked in the light breeze, trudging through the swampy bog or being tickled by the wispy grass. Good thing we aren’t all that comfortable being naked in the summer sun.  :)

The Union 76 boxes in one of the shots trigger many childhood memories for me…these boxes carried our goods for our trips to the cabin and my dad’s gear on his hunting trips. Dad use to work at our family owned, Kelly’s tire station as a young guy and these boxes were part life at the shop. When I came across them at my parents house I snagged them for my studio. My client came in and they spurred fond childhood memories for her as well – her family use to own a Union 76 shop when she was a girl. The boxes were perfect for Abby.

Here’s to naked baby buns…

The trailing lights on the posts first caught my eye and my concept was born…the architecture, natural light, the rustic feel of the space, the beautiful model and old metal trunks brought the concept full circle. The old trunks were given to my best friend by her uncle. The trunks traveled all over the world and each sticker represents a unique destination full of memories and stories that will likely remain untold by the quiet solider who carried them.

Here’s a fun shot to send you into the weekend…Enjoy!

…of boys in the Milles house that is! Wiley was busy trying to take off, Kaiden was busy egging Wiley on and through it all Brady was content. I even took shots of him on the wet grass with the rain sprinkling on him and he didn’t make a peep – hands down easiest baby I have ever worked with! Kaiden and Wiley on the other hand kept me moving and cracked me up the entire shoot which made getting photos of the sweet big brothers calmly holding their new baby brother next to impossible. So I figure with a new baby, two busy boys on the run, tonsil surgery and a broken hand in the house these guys deserve a little something to make them smile.  Enjoy!

These shots were taken during my first photography play-date. Throughout my photography journey I have been inspired and mentored by the incredibly talented Kathy Carlisle of Heavens Eye Photography and I was honored to be asked to get together with our kids for a photography play-date this summer. My cousin and I were getting set up for The Pretzel Chef so I thought the kids would enjoy exploring the fair from behind the scenes before the crowds hit. The bull pens, rodeo arena, rides, barn and the ever so interesting carnie folks we encountered on the way were a hoot! Capturing Jalena as she looked into the eyes of a reindeer for the first time was priceless. Watching Tre and Jamison tenderly play with Lael melted my heart. Belly laughing as the kids gave their best pirate faces was too much…until we got kicked out! But, Jamie takes the cake on the best memory of the day…we had to leave his undies in the bull pen and that’s all I’m going to say about that. We had a great time and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to shoot together. 

To see our full takes on the day you can view the featured section of both of our websites. Enjoy!

Baa Baa Black Sheep is currently Lael’s favorite song to dance to so it seemed like the perfect costume to make for her! I’m new to this so it was no surprise that everywhere the little lamb went she dropped little balls of fur. We used spray glue all night! I was able to get a few shots in the studio before we headed out and she thought it was super funny to pull the fur and throw it at me.

We started the night at the museum – they had big, live, scary, bugs to see and plastic bugs for the kids to take home. There was no candy so after a quick tour we headed out. Lael quickly got the hang of the trick or treating and realized that saying “hap halweeeeen” or “deee dooo (thank you)” got LOTS of candy! Her bag from Nana and Papa was so full she had to drag it down the hall. She had a blast with her cousins and the grownups had some great laughs watching such a tiny girl get or take handfuls of candy at every stop!

These two are absolutely crazy about each-other, just look at them! This is my sweet cousin, Adriel and her fiance Jeremiah.  We have been so eager for the words “I’m engaged!” to come out of Adriel’s mouth and we/she got that wish in August and she has been beaming ever since.  They are so excited to be married they can hardly stand it. I’m grateful to be able to capture the journey for them and can’t wait to show you shots from the big day in February. Thank you guys for being so fun to work with and so easy going. We felt like we were on top of the world doing this shoot. The space, the light, the weather, everything fell into place that day for us and the pictures show.  Enjoy the teaser.